Review: Razer Electra V2 Gaming Headset

RAZER

The mid-range gaming headset market is kind of a mixed bag. Some headsets are surprisingly good. Some are surprisingly bad. And others, such as the Razer Electra V2, are a little of both.

Available in two versions -- the 3.5mm $59 version and the USB $69 one -- both feature the Razer-standard black-and-neon-green color scheme and the same sturdy aluminum headband as Razer's Tiamat V2 model. Both Electra versions also feature 40mm drivers and semi-soft, non-folding ear cups. There is also volume/mute controls on the rear of the left ear cup, a removable gooseneck boom mic, and a permanently-attached neon green cable. For this review, we gave the 3.5mm version a go.

Taking into consideration that the Electra V2 wasn't designed to be Razer's high-end frontrunner gaming headset, it is surprisingly comfortable. The company elected to use standard foam rather than memory foam for the ear cups, but they are just large and deep enough for an adult male's ear/ If adjusted correctly, a couple of hours of straight discomfort-free wear is not out of the question. Furthermore, the ear cups have a fairly good range of motion and flexibility to them for those who like to go with the one-ear-on-one-ear-off way of wearing the headset. The only major gripe to be had is that the ear cups do not fold or rotate for easy transport/storage.

While the ear cups can be described as "good enough," the headband is simply wonderful. Backed by an aluminum frame, the soft leatherette-and-cloth strap that actually touches your head feels well made and is well suspended. Truly, it's of a much higher quality than one would expect from a $60-range headset.

For as important as comfort and fit-and-finish may be, the ultimate goal for a headset is good audio quality. The Razer Electra V2 meets expectations in this category, but it won't exactly blow anybody away. Like a Toyota, the Electra V2 is dependable but boring.

The virtual 7.1 Electra V2 seems to specialize in mid-range audio. Honestly, the mids sound great whether listening to music or game audio. The lows and highs, however, are lacking. While the bass is present, there just isn't much depth to it. While some headsets push the bass a bit too much, the Electra V2 seems to have the opposite problem by not pushing the bass quite enough. Like the lows, the highs are present, but, again, lack any real strength. The end result is a flat audio presentation that is about as interesting as driving down HWY 50 through central Nevada. But just like the Silver State, it has some appeal to it.

Where the audio presentation provided by this headset walks the straight-and-narrow, the sound quality from the plug-in boom mic stumbles. Pickup is a bit finicky and users will need to play a bit with where to position the receiver for the best possible audio. For us, this tended to be a bit closer to the lips that we would have liked and resulted in the occasional mic pop. Furthermore, the vocals from the mic sound less natural and more AM radio. Simply put, the fidelity isn't there.

Also, as far as the microphone is concerned, it is fully removable. While this is a nice design choice on paper, there is the risk that it could be lost when not installed on the headset. Furthermore, the very small rubber cap that covers the headset's mic jack is completely removable. There is a concern that it, too, can be lost and leave the user with an unprotected jack and a small eyesore on the bottom of the left ear cup.

At its $59 MSRP, the Razer Electra V2 is a fairly good gaming headset. It's unlikely to wow anybody, but it's well made and is more comfortable long-term that one might expect. For Razer, it's one of their most affordable and it's a great one for those who want Razer's quality or name without having to shell out too much of their paycheck to get it. Yes, there are better headsets on the market, but there are worse ones as well.

It's a satisfactory headset. If you're the type of PC gamer who wants something that's dependable without a bunch of extra bells and whistles, then the Electra V2 is a good one to consider.